Former Syrian Leader Assad Sentenced to Death Over 14-Year War Crimes That Killed 500,000

A Syrian court has sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity during Syria's 14-year conflict, which killed an estimated 500,000 people.

The ruling by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus on Tuesday, which also sentenced his brother Maher al-Assad to death, is the first judicial verdict against Bashar al-Assad or any member of his family since his father, Hafez al-Assad, seized power more than 50 years ago. It comes less than two years after the regime's collapse ended the family's five-decade rule.

Presiding judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan told the court, in a hearing broadcast live on state television, that Assad had used state agencies to carry out systematic abuses through the security forces, military and intelligence services.

Cousin Sentenced Over Daraa Crackdown

Also sentenced to death was Assad's cousin, Atef Najib, a former brigadier general who headed the Political Security Branch in the southern province of Daraa in 2011. Court records cited by state media say Najib oversaw the crackdown that ignited the uprising, after security forces detained and tortured a group of teenagers for painting anti-government graffiti on a school wall.

The teenagers' treatment provoked anger among local families and drew crowds onto the streets in protest. The demonstrations were met with live ammunition and mass arrests, marking the beginning of a war that would go on to devastate much of the country.

Najib, sanctioned by the US Treasury in April 2011, was detained after the regime's fall and became one of the most senior former officials to stand trial. He appeared in court on Tuesday inside a metal cage, wearing a prisoner's uniform, as the sentence was read. A crowd gathered outside in central Damascus awaiting the verdict.

Maher al-Assad previously commanded the army's 4th Armoured Division, which opposition activists have long accused of killings, torture, extortion and running its own detention facilities.

Brothers in Exile as Damascus Presses Moscow

Neither Bashar nor Maher al-Assad was present for the verdict. Both fled to Russia after the government collapsed in December 2024 and have since been granted political asylum there, according to Syrian authorities.

Syria's new administration, which now governs from Damascus, says it has formally requested that Moscow extradite the brothers to face their sentences. Russia has not responded publicly, and observers regard the prospect of extradition as remote.

Historic First Verdict Against Former Ruler

The verdict marks the first time a Syrian court has held a former head of state and his inner circle legally responsible for the conflict, which began in 2011 after the Daraa arrests triggered nationwide protests, a violent government crackdown and eventually full-scale civil war.

Although accountability remains partial, with the most senior figures beyond the court's reach, the sentencing represents a notable shift in a country where criticising the president once carried the risk of imprisonment.Legal experts say the case establishes a domestic precedent that could shape further prosecutions of former regime officials still within Syria's borders.

For now, the practical impact of the sentences remains limited while Bashar and Maher al-Assad remain outside Syrian jurisdiction. Whether Moscow will respond to Damascus's extradition request is unclear, and Syrian officials have given no timeline for further action.